Fighting Fire With Fire
by x-menobsessed26
Summary: What would happen if Jean Grey and Johnny Storm got together in the X-men: Evolution universe?
1. One Week

Speaking

_Thinking_

**Telepathic (or author's note)**

**Let's start off with a small author's note. This story starts WAY before the show does, so I hope you're reading this with an open mind and imagination. This Fantastic Four is mostly based off of the movies (personality wise) whereas these X-men and the universe are based off of the cartoon.**

**OH! The main difference is that the Four are mutants, not radiation affected scientists.**

**Each chapter has been redone, so if you've read this story before, I promise each chapter is much better than what I had before. I hope you like it better than before, because I know I do. The content is nearly the same, with slight changes. The writing is just a bit more mature. Enjoy!**

An alarm clock blaring her awake in the morning always sent a flash of red hot anger through Jean, but she supposed it was better to have that anger directed at an inanimate object rather than someone she cared about. She was disappointed to stand and look at the calendar, finding she had one more week left in the government imposed torture center they labeled as school. She'd wished to wake up and find it already summer.

One week left and three months of sun, sleep, and Johnny start. she thought with a smile.

"Jean! Let's go! Your breakfast is getting cold," Ororo Munroe, her mother for all intents and purposes, shouted from the end of the hall.

"Coming!" she shouted back.

Ororo was better known as Storm, and she had taken an eleven year old Jean under her wing when Jean's parents had shipped her off to Xavier's, not wanting to deal with their telepathic daughter anymore. Sure, they loved her and everything, she got weekly letters, packages, and phone calls from them, but, though they would never admit it, they were ashamed of having someone so unlike them for a daughter. They prefered their first daughter, Sara.

If Jean was completely honest with herself, the only person she found herself missing by a measurable amount was her sister. Sara and Jean had never been hostile with each other, and had, in fact, been quite close before she had been shipped off. They tried to maintain the connection, but there was a distance between them making them now feel more like cousins than sisters.

That was all well and good at the end of the day in Jean's mind. That's what she had Sue for, after all.

She slipped her feet into a pair of sandals and her hair into a fiery red ponytail, and took off down the hall without a backwards glance. She would get her backpack later.

Her body finally stopped running when she slid into her seat, earning her a disapproving glance from Ororo. She just smiled sheepishly and dug into her pancakes, giggling as Logan gave her a wink. If Ororo was the mother figure, Logan, known to others as Wolverine, was father figure in the sense of protection. She'd come to them at the age of six and was very scared and shy. He'd instantly felt drawn to protect her and had been there for her ever since.

"Exams start today, yes? You do have exams in 8th grade right?" Ororo asked, sipping on her tea.

Jean nodded, swallowing before speaking, "They usually do them the last three days, but since they're re-arranging a bunch of stuff for next year, they thought it would be easier on us if they just stretched it over the whole week."

"So which form of torture do you have to endure today?" Logan smirked.

"English, I think," she shrugged. "It's not like it really matters. I'm ready."

"After your exams are done, how are you going to spend your summer?"

Jean rolled her eyes, "Practicing, of course! I can't let the heat slip up my game! I have to make JV!"

Logan chuckled, "I don't think they could keep you off the team if they tried, Red, but what's Johnny going to do in that time? From what I've heard from Sue, Johnny was looking forward to spending the summer with you."

"He can be my personal cheerleader. He's pretty good at that."

"Kind of hard not to be, with a girlfriend as talented as you," he winked.

She groaned, "I'm not your girlfriend, Johnny."

"But you will be."

"In your dreams."

"Yes, you are."

Ororo coughed, "Jean, you're going to be late."

She stuffed the last mouthfuls of syrupy pancake into her mouth a waved a goodbye at her surrogate family. She flew up the flight of stairs, knowing Johnny would be at her heels.

She picked her green and yellow backpack off the floor, "Do you know where the professor is?"

He shrugged, "I heard he was getting some new kid settled in."

"Did you hear anything-WAIT! A new kid!" Jean grinned.

"Yep! Seven years in solitary confinement and they finally decide to give you a playmate. You're moving up in the world, Grey."

She punched his arm, "Shut up! Did you hear anything else?"

"I heard it was really difficult to get this kid here. Apparently, he was an orphan from somewhere out west, Nebraska, I think. Anyway, there was a ton of paperwork to get him here and S.H.I.E.L.D. even had to pull some strings. His mutation caused some damage and people wanted payment. Now he's coming here and this should be fun," he said sarcastically.

She ruffled his blond hair, "Scared of a little competition?"

Johnny snorted, "You wish. Your heart is mine. You just don't know it yet."

She laughed, "I don't know. Ben is kind of sexy."

"Please! His mutation makes a gila monster look gorgeous."

Jean frowned, "That was mean. You know mutations can't be controlled. Do you think Sue would have wanted to spontaneously turn invisible for a year before Xavier taught her to control it?"

"No, but it was kind of fun to see floating clothes walking around the mansion."

She couldn't deny that and giggled with him. The Storm siblings were something else, "I'm just glad that she and Reed have stayed together."

"Nothing could tear them apart. They've practically fused their atoms together."

"Are you taking science lessons from Reed again?" she questioned.

Before he could answer, they heard a shout from downstairs, "Johnny! Stop distracting her! You both need to go!"

They laughed and walked down the hall together. Sue was a few years older than Johnny, as were Reed and Ben, leaving an annoying age gap in between which couldn't be filled even with the most tender of kindness. Johnny's reckless nature made sure of that. Jean and Johnny had bonded almost instantaneously.

Now, as they walked down the stairs, Johnny felt what Jean had accused him of earlier. Jealousy.

The boy standing there was lanky in build and shy in personality, but he was handsome with his shaggy brown hair and clearly had muscles underneath his scrawniness. God help him if the kid ever decided to bulk up, which he probably would. It was the X-men after all.

"Johnny, Jean, meet Scott Summers," Charles smiled at them.

Jean smiled back, but mostly directed at Scott. Charles had been a great father figure, emotionally, but other than the Four, she'd never truly had any friends or siblings. It was fun to finally meet someone who would be living the life she was so accustomed to.

"Scott, this is Jean Grey and Jonathan Storm. Jean is also a student at the Institute. Johnny lives here when here for tutoring with his mutation. Otherwise he lives with his sister and two friends in New York City. This year was a bit different and he decided with the emergence of his powers to stay here and goes to Bayville Middle School with Jean."

Johnny nearly laughed. Jean did instead. Scott looked confused so Jean took pity on him, "Johnny's sister and Reed and Ben, the two other guys, are very different from him. He likes coming here more."

Scott nodded and acknowledgement and Johnny felt a flare of anger. Why did this kid need to know about him? What made him so special?

Johnny tried to take her hand, but she unconsciously pulled it away while being distracted by the new kid. His heart fell into his shoes. For the first time in his life, Johnny Storm had competition.


	2. Jealousy and Embarrassment

"So what can you do?" Johnny smirked.

Scott looked down at the floor, bowing his head. Johnny thought it was pathetic. Jean thought it was sweet. In a small voice, he said, "It's, um, not exactly, uh,...indoor friendly."

Johnny rolled his eyes and snorted, "So why don't you just go outside?"

The new kid seemed to shrink right before their eyes, "Because I can't control it yet."

"Isn't that what you're here for?" Jean butted in, glaring at Johnny.

Scott shot her a grateful glance to which she grinned, but Johnny responded, "Does he not know how to control it or not want to?

Logan would have compared it to a cock fight, but that just wasn't accurate. Scott was clearly trying to avoid confrontation. Johnny wanted to fight.

Jean punched him in the arm, not friendly this time, and hissed, "What are you doing?"

When he didn't answer, she grabbed his arm in a sad attempt to pull him out the door and toward school, which, looking at the clock, she already knew they were late for. Scott was now staring intently at one spot in the floor as if he could burn a hole in it big enough to swallow him, which, in truth, he could. He wasn't going to tell Johnny though.

Before Jean could pull him away, words came to Johnny's lips before all of the sense in the world could stop them from being spoken, "Or are you just afraid of looking like the freak you are?"

Everyone in the room, Johnny included, froze. Tears filled Jean's eyes at the poison she'd just heard and she wanted to run away. Far away. Her temper stopped her from giving him the satisfaction. Clearly, Scott wanted to cry too, but the kid had guts. He glared back at the blond boy and didn't say a word.

The three adults were shocked down to their socks. Though they all knew Johnny hadn't meant what he'd said, known what he'd said, it was still shocking to hear. It was especially shocking given what he was himself.

The one who was the most confused, though, was Johnny himself. Nothing could tell him what had just happened. Not ten minutes ago, he'd been bantering with Jean up in her room. Now, he was a cornucopia of emotions, many of which he hadn't even known existed.

"Do you really think we're freaks?" Jean asked. Everyone flinched again. "No, really. Because if he'd a freak, then we're all freaks, right? We're all mutants."

He didn't answer. He just stood there and took the verbal bashing he was so accustomed to from her. She was famous for them, and she knew just where to hurt him. That's what made hers so painful. She was his best friend.

"Well, if you really think he's such a freak, I guess my blood, with its genetic disgrace against my family's legacy, is even worse. You don't need me anymore," Jean said in a voice too steady for the salty streams cascading down her cheeks. She tore off a charm bracelet Johnny had gotten for her four years before and threw it back at him. It was then that she gave into her desire to run away.

Johnny leaned down to pick up the bracelet and slowly walked out of the Institute, leaving the adults behind. Logan was completely still and tense, still ready to jump into the action that had already passed. Ororo's eyes were equivalent to saucers, they were so wide, and her left hand was covering her mouth which had dropped open unknowingly. Charles wheeled away, recovering first. Logan was next to recover and placed a hand on Ororo's shoulder.

That action sent a wave of reality through the woman and she came to, though a glaze of tears were still visible in her eyes.

"You okay, 'Ro?" Logan asked.

Ororo shook her head, "I'm worried."

"Worried?"

Ororo turned to face Logan, placing a tender hand upon his cheek, "Logan, you and I, along with the Professor, have raised Jean like she was our daughter for years. Johnny is also practically part of the family!"

Logan shrugged and grabbed her hand, holding it within his, "So? Why be worried then? You've said it yourself. They've known each other for a long time. They'll work it out."

Ororo turned her back to Logan so she could face the door, just as her tears fell down her cheeks. Logan's hand found its way to her waist, "I'm not so sure."

"They'll work it out 'Ro. They've had fights worse than we've had ours. We're all forces to be reckoned with...is it Jean you're worried about?"

Ororo nodded, "She's still so innocent yet. She may be entering high school next year, but she hasn't really had the experience either of us has had. I'm just afraid for her, that all of this may damage her too much."

"Like I've said three times now, they'll be fine. Jean's stronger than you think. She can take care of herself," Logan said just before he walked away into the kitchen.

As softly as a gentle breeze, she said, "Let's hope you're right."


	3. Cooling Off

Jean's throat burned from the run and sweat was dripping down her back, but she didn't care. She couldn't think about anything else at the moment. _How could he be such a jerk?_

* * *

><p>Johnny walked past Jean, who was panting at her locker. She hadn't looked back as she had run out on him. <em>How could I be such a jerk?<em>

Johnny was still trying to figure out what had happened back at the mansion. His mind was on nothing else, could process nothing else. He knew he screwed up. He just had to figure out how to tell Jean he knew. With an ugly pang in his stomach, he knew it would mean apologizing to Scott. Something about that kid just made him want to flame on and never turn off.

He walked into his first class where he would be leaving in one week and going to the high school with Jean, if she could forgive him. He doubted it.

He couldn't even forgive himself.

* * *

><p>Two minutes before the bells would sound for lunch, Jean couldn't stand listening to Ms. Sharda keep ranting about...whatever math was being described at the time. She stared out the window and let her mind wander. It wandered to the kid she wanted to think the least of at the moment, other than Johnny. Scott Summers.<p>

She was excited to have a new student in the school, someone else to hang out with, but she knew this would only cause problems in her life. Would it really be the best option to associate herself with him?

The shallow, selfish side of her brain screamed at her that she would take a huge popularity plunge if she kept it up the way she had been, but the softer, more realistic side of her brain calmed the selfish side down and explained that he was a mutant and new to Bayville, not to mention extremely shy. Who was she to cast him out?

The gathered her stuff as the bell rang. Thoughts were still running wild through her packed mind when she opened her locker. She practically threw in her books and slammed her locker shut. She was so distracted that she didn't notice Taryn until she was right on top of her, poking her in her very ticklish side.

"AHHHHH! DON'T POKE ME!" Jean screamed, jumping all but to the ceiling while Taryn giggled hysterically.

"Sorry, Jean," though she sounded anything but. "Let's go eat something. Hopefully something greasy and bad for us."

She couldn't say no to that. Only just realizing how ravenous she was, Jean all but ran to the cafeteria.

Taryn Fujioka. A pretty brunette with popular potential, a wicked soccer player, and Jean's best friend outside of those she knew from the Institute. If she had one fault though, it was she liked to talk, and talk a lot. Usually it was of no importance.

Today, however, Jean welcomed the droning chatter. It was a nice distraction from the thoughts that were causing her telepathic powers to lose some of its control.

* * *

><p>Johnny tossed the scraps of what had been a sort of healthy teenage lunch in the trash and walked away, "Hey! Hey Johnny! Wait!"<p>

Duncan Matthews. A blond, bulky freshman who was definitely not going to pass any of this year's classes, but showed amazing skill on a football field was running up to him. Johnny had taken him under his wing in the hopes that he would pass some classes. No such luck. Next year, though, he would have no choice but to study. His parents were furious and threatening with military school.

"What up Dunc?" Johnny asked with an ironic grin.

Duncan punched him playfully in the arm in that way only teenage boys can, "You don't exactly look like a rabbit."

Johnny laughed, "And you don't look like a bald man with a gun."

"Touche. So what class do you have now?"

Johnny sighed, "Science with Fay."

"Man, you have that class all but over with. You will pass that exam with flying colors. The only class I'll pass this year is Woods 1. Maybe," Duncan said, running a hand through his hair.

Johnny gave him a sidelong look, "Aren't you in P.E. this year?"

"Nope. Next year."

"Yep, you're definitely dead this year."

Duncan covered his ears with his hands, "Don't! If I don't pass one, I have to pack my bags. My parents have said that if I can manage to pass one, and not an elective, they'll let me stay."

"Then I guess you're coming over to the Institute tonight to study, aren't you?"

Duncan froze, "I guess. It's just...the dude, the short one. He's scary, man!"

Johnny laughed again, "To you and me both, man."

* * *

><p>Jean didn't have soccer practice after school today, and she wasn't going to walk with Johnny, so she settled for a nice, comfortable walk home...with Taryn still talking her ear off. They both had to walk in the same direction for a while before they split and Taryn wasn't going to miss a minute to blurt some useless information.<p>

Johnny walked back to the Institute, passing his car that was sitting outside, out front. It was his motivation for getting through high school. Sue had promised him the car if he graduated in time and with reasonably acceptable grades. It was a beautiful red convertible with white rally stripes. It looked sweet and rode like a dream. He wanted it more than anything.

Duncan accompanied him home, passing the car with an appreciative whistle, and walked in. Both were ready for anything, or so they thought.


	4. A Past of Rumors

Jean walked into the foyer and looked over at the sofa, and saw Johnny and Duncan "studying". She ignored their presence entirely and knew that Taryn would be drooling over Duncan had she been there with her.

Jean walked into the kitchen and tried to salvage something worth eating after the boys had raided the fridge. Ororo had left her with a bowl full of carrot sticks, another bowl of ranch dressing, and two large bottles of water. She'd even written the young girl's name on the dishes.

Deciding she didn't want to face Johnny in the middle of a mid-study break kitchen raid, she brought everything out to the patio. She lost herself in grammar functions and algebraic equations.

Back in the living area, just off the foyer, Johnny and Duncan were having a great time relating hot supermodels to Duncan's English assignments. Just then, Scott came down the stairs, not realizing or not caring that Johnny was down there.

Duncan turned to the younger boy, "Who's he?"

That question sparked an evil inspiration in his head. Next year, they would all be at the same grade level. Maybe even in the same classes. Hmm...

A small part of Johnny's brain screamed at him that any chance of gaining Jean back again would be lost forever if he did this, but the majority of his brain shut that part up. Johnny turned to the older, more stupid, teen, "New kid. He's...well..."

As he had known it would, a light lit up in Duncan's eyes, thirsting for information, "He's what?"

Johnny lower his voice even more than it already was, "He's a real weird one."

"What's he do?"

Johnny knew about the crush Duncan harbored for Jean and decided he could use that to his advantage, "Well, he's in love with my girl. You know Jean, right? Well, he's been involved in a lot of Wiccan stuff. He's been trying to cast a spell or charm or something to get her attention on him, thinking none of us know about it. Anyway, other than that, he keeps up this shy, scared boy act around her so he can start to win her over. It gets really annoying since she seems to be falling for it."

Of course, Johnny had no idea if Wiccans even casted spells and such. He knew Duncan wouldn't either, but his brown eyes darkened regardless, "Haven't you done anything?"

Johnny looked away, as if ashamed, "I tried this morning. It backfired. I think he knew it would. Now Jean's all mad at me. She won't even look at me."

"Is there anything else?"

Johnny decided to use that stupid creative writing workshop his sister had made him take, "Well, he's from an orphanage in Nebraska, so I did some background information. Can't be too careful, you know? You won't believe what I found.

"Scott, along with twelve others, were part of a group, cult really, who called themselves 'The Thirteen Tempests'. They worshiped a god and his goddess. These two deities called for their worshipers to wreak as much havoc as they could, and they would be rewarded with the voice of them. The god liked any kind of havoc enough to make him amused, but the goddess was more specific. She liked craze that involved the misery of other women, and her magic number was 31.

"Now, Scott was only twelve at the time, but he is said to have taken part in the kidnapping, rape, murder, and a clusterfuck of other crimes against a total of 31 women. He wasn't the direct criminal in any case, but he was definitely an associate."

Duncan's eyes went from wide with the telling of the story to narrowed slits at the end, "How did he get away with it?"

Johnny smiled at how dim Duncan was to believe it, but turned the sneer to his advantage again, making it look wry, "There wasn't enough evidence to convict him. Scott believes that the goddess liked him so much that she helped him from getting caught. Charles Xavier is convinced he did all of the crimes, unlike the rest of the Nebraska community, but thinks he can reform Scott or something. Probably a write off on his taxes."

Johnny and Duncan continued to delve into the lie that was becoming Scott's past.

Jean stood and stretched. She had been out on the porch for a good three hours. Even in the beginning of June, it was still getting quite chilly out. Jean walked into the mansion with her stuff again. As she was putting her dishes in the dishwasher and bottles in the recycle, she heard Duncan's voice. What is he still doing here?

Jean walked out into the foyer just as Duncan was leaving. Johnny closed the door and turned to look at Jean. He had an evil glint in his eyes, and she didn't like it one bit, "Hi Jean."

"What did you do?"

"Who says I did anything?" but the smugness of his tone was enough to contradict his words.

Jean was about to tell him as much when Scott walked up the stairs from where he had exited the Professor's office. Jean watched him walk and somehow she knew it had involved him. She looked back at Johnny, but he was already walking up the other staircase. She would have bet her bottom dollar that she heard a laugh as the door to his room closed.


	5. Threat

Johnny couldn't have been more happy. Scott's high school career next year would be toast and Jean would be back into his arms in no time. He smirked to himself as he walked down the hallway to his room. Sure, there were many things that could, and probably would, go wrong, but he was sure fate would push Jean back to him in no time.

* * *

><p>Jean was appalled, "That's...that's!"<p>

Scott held up his arms defensively, especially as objects began to rise off of where they were before, "I'm not the one who told Duncan, so don't take it out on me."

"How are you not angry at this?" she practically screamed. She knew she was furious.

"Oh, I'm plenty angry, believe me, but I'm not going to overreact to something out of my control. Besides," Scott smiled grimly. "Fate always seems to have a way of balancing out right and wrong."

Jean crossed her arms and huffed, "So, you're not even going to do anything? You're just going to sit back and let fate take control?"

"What exactly would fighting back accomplish, besides making the situation even worse? I don't want to fight," he said, exasperated at her inability to see what he saw.

"Johnny does."

Scott laughed. It made Jean want to slap him, "Jean, he doesn't truly want to fight, but he will if he must. He wants me gone. He sees me as a threat."

Jean blinked, "To what?"

"Your heart."

She couldn't have been more surprised if he would have announced he was a robot chicken named Markus and his ambition in life was to do the macarena on a rainbow, "Excuse me?"

He sighed, "Johnny loves you. He might have a weird way of showing it, but I believe he truly does. He sees me as a threat to your relationship. He wants to take me out of that spot as being your threat and make you think I'm not. To do that, he has to make me look bad. It's a rather easy feat to accomplish. It's not that complicated."

She shook her head, "I...the Johnny I know wouldn't do something like this."

Scott shrugged, "I've lived in an orphanage since I was eight. I've seen the nicest people do the meanest of things when threatened, especially with abandonment. I'm sure you could do some."

Jean sighed and stood up off of Scott's bed and stretched her back, "I'll find Duncan tomorrow and talk to him. We'll fix this."

"Do me a favor, Jean?" Scott asked. "Don't talk to him. Please just let fate take its course. It's a pretty elaborate lie and it will be found out, or at least not believed, in time."

As much as she wanted to object, she nodded and walked toward the door. She was almost through the door when she turned around, "Oh, and Scott?"

His head popped up out of the book he had just pulled out. She smiled at him.

"You are a threat."

As she closed the door, Scott would later swear to people he would go under oath and testify he had never felt such happiness in his life, and probably never would again. Jean was one of a kind.

Everything has been rewritten. I will be getting real updates out soon. I would recommend going back through and re-reading, just in case I put something in that was different from the first time. I hope you enjoy what is to come. I have big things planned for this story, though it make take a while to get through them all.


	6. The Departure

It took all of the strength Jean could force into herself not to call Johnny out on his lie. Granted, she hadn't seen him all day, but she knew that by lunch, he'd be looking for her again. She could barely concentrate on her science exam, she was worrying so much.

As predicted, Johnny was waiting by her locker. Deciding she didn't really need to drop her books off, she made her way to the cafeteria solo. When walked down the lunch line, trying to grab all of her food and juggle her stuff at the same time. Just as she nearly dropped them, familiar hands shot out and snatched them for her, "Watch it, Red."

Her eyes narrowed and she said nothing as she took the things back from her ex-best friend. He sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair, "Look, if this is still about yesterday, I'm sorry I said the things about mutants that I did.

"But you're not sorry about Scott?" she snarled, thrusting payment for her lunch at the innocent cafeteria lady.

He looked startled, "What do I have to be sorry for?"

"He's new, Johnny! You know he's probably never used his powers before and you practically challenged him to a duel!" she shouted, masking her slip up.

"It's not my fault! It just sort of happened!"

"And you can't just "sort of" say you're sorry!"

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because I'm not!"

She growled, "Then I'm not sorry for this, either."

"Sorry for what."

She shoved her tray of mashed potatoes, gravy, meatloaf, and carrots into his face and poured her chocolate milk on top of his head, "That."

And she walked away with a few crazy classmates whistling and cheering her on as she opened the doors to the hallway. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about what she had just done.

_He deserved it, Jeannie. You know he did._

* * *

><p>Johnny stood there in shock for a moment as the cafeteria erupted into loud laughter around him. Swallowing his red hot anger, he wiped some potato from his face, shook some dairy from his hair, and walked toward the principal's office.<p>

When he walked in, Taryn, who was working as an assistant for some credit hours, jumped up with wide eyes, "What happened to you?!"

"Jean Grey and her temper," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

She started laughing, "I'll get Principal Clearwater."

"Thanks."

He stood dripping and smelling worse than the dumpsters when Principal of Bayville Junior High, Evelyn Clearwater, walked in. Her hazel eyes darkened immediately, "Who?"

"I don't know," he lied. "I didn't see them."

"I don't believe you."

"So?"

Principal Clearwater rubbed her temples, "Just use the phone in the corner to call Professor Xavier."

As she turned around to walk into her office, Johnny just barely heard her whispering, "Oh, yes, Evelyn. Being a teacher wasn't enough. You have to deal with _all_ of the brats."

He nearly laughed.

* * *

><p>Jean walked out of her last class and packed up her light backpack to go home. She was ready for the week to be over.<p>

"Hey, Jean!"

Jean turned to face Duncan as he ran up to meet her, "What's up, Duncan?"

"Johnny asked if I could walk you home today. It's getting kinda stormy and he wasn't sure if you would want to walk alone."

As if her guilt wasn't bad enough... "Thanks."

"No problem."

They walked in silence for a bit before he grabbed her left elbow and turned her toward him, "Can I ask you a question?"

"I'm not guaranteeing an answer."

"Are you friends with that Scott Summers freak?"

The question made her blood burn, all traces of guilt washed away, "Pardon?"

"I ask if you were friends with Scott Summers?"

She sniffed arrogantly, "Does it matter if I am?"

He looked her dead in the eyes, "He's dangerous, Jean! I don't trust him!"

"You haven't even met him! How can you say that?"

"I have a bad feeling about him. I've had it since I saw him yesterday," Duncan explained.

_More like when Johnny messed with your head yesterday and filled with with typical nonsense, _"He's not bad, Duncan. He's shy and afraid of people from his past experiences. There's nothing wrong with him."

"It's all an act! I can feel it! Please, don't do anything stupid."

"What, like you?" she asked hotly, tearing her arm out of his grip and stomping off down the sidewalk.

Duncan shook his head and decided not to follow her. Johnny was his friend, and he'd probably get an earful about leaving her like that, but he would rather deal with an angry Johnny than a pissed of Jeannie.

* * *

><p>Jean slammed open the doors of the Institute, "JOHNNY!"<p>

"Jean!" Ororo exclaimed, coming forward. "What is the matter?"

"JONATHAN STORM!" she screamed again.

"Now wait a minute, young lady," Ororo chastised her. "First of all, you have no reason to be screaming in here. Second, you are in serious trouble for what you did to Johnny at lunch."

"I think you'll forgive me after you find out what Johnny did himself," she hissed, not caring how she was speaking to her surrogate mother.

She ran out back where she felt his mind and into the backyard. It was a beautiful expanse of open green and he was sitting in the middle, playing with flames. However, the estate didn't have her attention. The young man making her see ugly shades of red did.

"JOHNNY!"

"I heard you the first two times, Jean. What do you want?" he snarled back at her, his eyes blue fire.

She walked up to him, who was now standing, and slapped him so hard across the face, the sound echoed across the ground, "How could you? I thought I knew you, Johnny!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he screamed, holding a hand to his swelling cheek.

"Why did you spread rumors about Scott?"

Johnny's heart nearly stopped. She knew, "Look, Jeannie-"

"Don't you 'Jeannie' me!" she pointed a finger to his chest. "There was no reason for you to do anything to him. He is nothing to you. He could have been your friend, Johnny. Don't you see that?"

"What in heaven's name is going on out here?" Ororo cried.

Johnny snorted, "I could never be friends with that loser."

Jean shook her head, "No, Johnny. You're the loser. And to think, I was friends with you."

"Jean! Johnny! Stop this!" Charles called out from his chair in the doorway.

"What are you saying, Jean?" he asked in a dangerous voice.

Her emerald eyes glared at him, not backing down, "I'm saying, I wish I had never been friends with you. I wish I had never met you. You are the sickest, most vulgar and pathetic waste of human space I have ever met."

"You're not too great yourself, Sunshine," he mocked, smirking venomously.

"Go to Hell!" she shouted out, lunging for him.

Two sets of arms reached out and grabbed her, each holding one of her arms in theirs. Logan and Scott hauled the struggling Jean into the mansion and to the foyer. They held her there for a while until she began to calm down, at which point Logan released her to go back and join the party out back.

"What happened? I asked you not to say anything," Scott said, trying not to sound angry.

"I'm sorry, but Duncan asked me on the way home if I was friends with you. When I said I was, he told me I shouldn't be because you're dangerous. I couldn't take it anymore," she admitted, collapsing into a chair. "It's not my Johnny."

"Your Johnny is still there, Jean," Scott replied, cupping her chin so she looked at his face. "He's just buried underneath layers of jealous anti-Johnny."

Her shoulders slumped, "What happens now?"

"I told the Professor everything I knew as quickly as possible. I also heard him tell Ororo that his sister is on her way to pick him up. I...I think he's going home."

"Good riddance," she grumbled.

His head shot up, "You don't mean that. He's your friend."

"No. He stopped being my friend when he tried to prove I couldn't have more than him."

Later that night, Scott's suspicions turned out to be correct. Johnny packed up and left, Charles' explanation being that Johnny was not yet ready to be a team player, so therefore he had no place at the school for the time being. Susan had just helped her brother pack, thanked everyone for what they did, gave Jean a sisterly hug, and left with her brother in tow.

Scott had stayed in his room through the entire ordeal, not wanting to cause any last minute trouble. Everyone else at the Institute had felt incredibly saddened at the loss of Johnny, except for Jean.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself as the tears slid down her face.

**No, this is definitely not the end of the story. It will continue with the plot timeline being a few years down the road, so be prepared for that. Otherwise, please leave me a review telling me what you think of my midnight writing. ;)**


	7. Blood, Hate, and Poems

**WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC GORE! READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!**

* * *

><p><span>Seven Years Later ...<span>

"Did you get the milk too?" Jean shouted out.

Adrianna, her roommate, rolled her eyes, "Yes, I got the milk. I even got chocolate milk."

Jean's head popped up from where she was studying on the couch, "Chocolate?"

"Of course, that's what gets your attention," Adrianna laughed.

"Haha. You're hilarious," Jean worked on packing up her things. "I'll be back around ten, alright?"

"Ten? That's later than usual."

Jean laughed, "Nice observation, Mr. Holmes. A regular detective, you are."

"Of course, Dr. Watson. Would I be anything but?" she giggled, taking Jean's vacated spot. "What will you be doing?"

"I just have some small business to take care of. Scott needs some help looking for a gift for Aleytys, and since I am on the opposite side of the country, he thought I could get some extra looking in here," she informed her best friend.

Adrianna yawned, "I don't know why you broke it off with that boy, Jeannie. He was a good catch."

"_We _broke it off, and it just didn't work out. Besides, Scott is in love with Lee. The least I can do is help out my friend."

Adrianna waved a dismissive hand and Jean closed the door behind her, locking it quickly. It was six o'clock as she walked down the sidewalk toward her building at Stanford University. Her class was over by seven thirty, leaving her with plenty of time to get out and have some fun.

She left the campus, waving goodbye to a passing classmate as she did so, and walked the rather long distance to an Italian restaurant, _Agilo. _It was a favorite of Jean's, but Adrianna didn't much care for Italian, having tastes that favored more Asian cuisine, so she ate there whenever she found an hour away from her friend. She also knew the long walking she would be doing would help burn at least a few of the pounds she was sure to gain from the delicious mushroom ravioli she was devouring.

By the time she left, all she wanted to do was collapse and sleep, but she'd made a promise to Scott. She walked up and down into different shops, capturing images of things that caught her eyes with her phone so she could send them to her friend back East.

With a satisfied grin, she left her mindless wandering for back home. Her eye caught the clock of her smartphone : _11:13._

She cursed mentally as she was nearly an hour and a half later than what she had told Adrianna, but then it hit her like a cold fish in the face. Adrianna hadn't called.

Adrianna was a natural worrier and tended to call when she was ten minutes late. She quickly checked over her messages and found absolutely nothing. Adrianna hadn't called.

A large pit formed in her stomach, making her sick. She began running as fast as humanly possible to her shared apartment. Looking up quickly at the window of the apartment visible from the sidewalk, it was dark. Not nearly normal.

She skidded to a stop, pausing for fear of seeing what could be up there. The logical part of her mind pointed out that it was possible she was getting all worked up over nothing, but the emotional part of her pointed out that the pit of her stomach was usually never wrong.

She climbed the stairs and sought out her friend's mind with her telepathy and found nothing. It chilled her blood and bones.

Jean slid the key into the lock and opened the door, letting it swing open without her moving a muscle. With the speed of a snail, she turned the light on. Her mouth fell open into a scream but her lungs were incapable of granting her the sound.

It looked like something out of a horror movie, no cliche intended, with that her friend looked like she had exploded. It was clearly intended.

Being in pre-med, she knew how much blood the human body held, but had no idea what that would have looked like on a flat surface, let alone splattered around her living room. The room was painted the ugly red-brown of dried blood, still wet in some areas but crusty in others. The sick, evil, disgusting part of herself thought about how those stains were NEVER going to come out of anything in the apartment.

Her friend, her dear Adrianna, was dead on the floor, literally. Her torso had been torn open with her entrails drug out of her petite body. There were slice marks all over her body to where she was mutilated beyond recognition, but Jean knew it was her. However, all of that didn't bother her. It was what was on the wall that did.

Someone had taken Adrianna's blood and thrown it against the beige wall, after making sure to take down a few pictures for room, and had erased the words

_I came for you, I left without.  
><em>_Your sweet friend satisfied my rage,  
><em>_But you best keep a sharp lookout,  
><em>_For my interest in killing you is impossible to discourage._

_I know what you are despite your attempts at otherwise.  
><em>_Your unnatural life will soon cease  
><em>_Providing a way to finalize  
><em>_a way for purification's release._

_I'm sure you believe you are good  
><em>_in a way that most would believe  
><em>_if not for the death of Ms. Rosewood  
><em>_you would not have such a temporary reprieve._

_So take comfort in these few moments of freedom  
><em>_before I come for you again.  
><em>_Fortunately for me you were not bestowed at birth much wisdom  
><em>_allowing me easier ways to provide you much pain._

_-N.E._

Reading that last line of the extremely poorly written poem, her lungs finally began working and she screamed long, loud, and promptly fainted.

* * *

><p><strong>It has been far too long since my last update, but I decided that I needed to give another one out. I know, the poem sucked, but it was intentional. I promise I don't usually suck that bad. ;)<strong>

**For more sneak peeks of what is to come, please follow the link on my profile to my Facebook page where I will be posting a bit of the next chapter in a few days as a preview before I post the whole thing.**


	8. Getting Jean

When the Blackbird landed in Stanford, California, everyone present was anxious to get to Jean. Charles in particular was, though he was more worried about her mental state than any anti-mutant haters could get to the poor girl. A friend of his who worked near there, a Dr. Moira MacTaggert, had informed him of the details of the situation and he was thoroughly horrified.

Everyone at the Institute had met Adrianna and had loved her, Adri being one of the few humans who completely accepted mutants despite what the media tried to say. News of her death devastated the Institute and many X-men were eager to join Charles and Ororo in picking Jean up. After a bit of thought, only Logan, Scott, and Rogue were asked to join them.

The ride to the hospital room where the young woman was waiting was silent and tension filled. As they closed in on the hospital, the flashing lights of emergency vehicles and media crews caught their eyes. Slowly, discretely, they made their way inside undetected from the vultures who wanted a glimpse at the X-men and the poor, poor mutant whose existence caused the death of a supposed friend.

Needless to say, they weren't in the mood for it.

One of the late night nurses named Karen pointed the group to a small grey door with a number 23 on it. Ororo opened it and everyone filed inside, Rogue gasping softly at the sight.

Jean's green eyes were vacant.

Charles' heart dropped. He had seen the sight before. It was always a safety precaution when her mind couldn't quite process something it had seen right away, to prevent her telepathy and telekinesis from going haywire. She was always thrown into a catatonic state for either Charles to bring her out of, or for her to slip into insanity with.

At the moment, he just wanted to take her home. He wheeled his chair to rest in front of her sitting on the edge of the exam table. He put his fingers to his temples and began to bring her from the living coma.

A half hour of Logan's pacing later, Jean blinked a few times and shook her head slightly, coming back to reality. Unfortunately, as would be expected, reality wasn't such a great place.

Her eyes filled with tears once more and sobs caught in her throat. Ororo came forward and let the young woman cry into her chest as she had done for many years before. Rogue rubbed her back and Scott held her hand, attempting comfort. It was all they could do for her.

A copy of the erie and rather hilarious (if not for the circumstances) poem was resting in Logan's jacket pocket. He pulled it out and read it again. Who the hell would be out to kill Jean, his sweet little Jeannie? Whoever it was, he knew they wouldn't survive if he had anything to say about it. They had just threatened his family, his surrogate child if you will.

After a few more minutes, they realized they had to leave. Unfortunately, in the time it had taken them to get Jean back to a semi-normal mental state, it had allowed the media another opportunity to gather more vultures to the feast, where they lay in wait. Charles sent Rogue out to get the car as the rest walked with Jean. Jean had never done well with crowds, particularly when emotionally compromised. Hell, no one would.

"Miss Grey, are you going to be charged with the murder of Miss Rosewood?"

"Where were you when Miss Rosewood was murdered?"

"Do you have any comments to make at this time, Miss Grey?"

"Is this some statement of mutant power?"

"Is this a threat to all of humanity?"

"Do you have anything to say, Miss Grey?"

She shut her eyes, squeezing out more tears, choked on a sob, and continued walking. Her chest felt like it was clenching and her heart breaking into a million pieces. She had killed her friend. Maybe she hadn't mutilated her, but she had killed her just the same.

Adrianna, her best friend, dead before finishing school. All the girl had wanted to do was teach high school. Charles had even offered her a spot at the Institute if she was willing to teach mutants.

Now that would never happen, and someone else would fill the position meant for Adrianna.

Jean crawled into the back of the car and tried to clear the buzz of overwhelmingly hostile thoughts from hers. It at least gave her something to do to keep her mind off of things, no pun intended.

However, when she got on the Blackbird, Jean walked to the back away from everyone else, her body language refusing human association, and sat down. Logan shot Charles a look and the man in the wheelchair nodded.

"I know, Logan, but I'm not sure if she could handle it."

"Do you know of anyone else capable of getting through to her? You've stated it yourself the connection was always strong between them."

Ororo snorted, "They'll certainly have a strong connection if Jean throws him through a wall."

Charles shook his head, "Jean has had plenty of time to get over what happened in the past, and she's even told as much to-"

"It doesn't matter what she said," Scott pointed out. "Jean's said many things regarding her relationships with people, but that doesn't make it true. She may want to forgive, but we have no evidence she ever did."

"We have no choice," Logan insisted. "If she slips back into catatonia, we may not only lose her forever, but we may never find out who is trying to kill her, and the rest of us."

Rogue held her hands up, "Would someone please tell me what in the hell is going on?"

Scott gave her a wry smile, "Trust me, Rogue. You'd rather not know."

She took his word for it, but was still curious. Jean hadn't even held a grudge against her for all of the things she'd done. Who the hell-? Duncan? Not a chance. Taryn? Even worse.

Charles picked up the radio, "I'll make the call."

**Short, sweet, and a filler before I really get into what is going to happen. It's pretty obvious who is coming back, but does anyone have any ideas about what is to happen?**


	9. The Man Returns

Most of the students at the mansion tried to get Jean to talk to them, but she shut them out at every turn. Scott she almost threw a lamp at and Kitty was told to...well, it was colorful.

_Jean, could you please come down to my office?_

It had been about five hours since Jean's pick-up in California, and she hadn't spoken a word. Everyone knew if she didn't want to, she wouldn't, but it was worth a try to reason with her.

She walked down the stairs with the speed of a snail and sat in the seat in front of Charles' desk. Ororo was sitting on the sofa off to the side and Logan was behind Charles. They were frightened.

Jean didn't realize it had taken a half hour of Charles repetitively asking for her to finally hear him. She was slipping fast.

"Jean, you know the safety of the entire Institute is at risk. Could you please help us figure out who's behind this attack?"

Repeating the question two more times, she finally shook her head. However, as they kept asking questions, they found themselves having to repeat less and she actually began talking. Progress was still progress, no matter how small.

Eventually, at 6 o'clock in the morning, she relented and relayed her story of what she knew, though it was her turn to repeat since they could barely hear through her tears. Jean just couldn't get over the fact that her friend was dead. They tried comforting her, but it was no use. Jean didn't want to be told to 'shush, everything will be alright. You're safe'.

The image of her friend's bloody body kept flashing through her mind's eye, Adrianna's grey eyes turned cold and empty as they stared wide at a murderer who had long since fled. She shut her eyes to try to make it go away, but it just gave the photo a better canvas.

They called Scott in to try and get to her, but nothing helped. Charles was about to mentally force her to relax and sleep when she heard him.

"Jean."

One word, and her body froze, her shields cracked. The voice was deeper, more refined, but it was still the voice she knew.

The man she knew.

With a cry, she jumped out of the chair and out into the foyer where he was standing. Jean ran into his arms, which closed tightly around her.

Johnny Storm just let them stand there, occasionally stroking her hair and whispering things no one else could hear into her ear. They were nearly the same words being said to her by the others she loved except for one larger detail.

She actually believed him.

When he said it, the past was forgotten. She believed he could protect her, that she was safe. Everything was okay.

Her Johnny was back.

Despite the fragile atmosphere, Logan shot Ororo a cocky grin, "Bad idea, huh? Should never have called him."

She huffed and smiled at the two friends below. It was a long awaited sight.

* * *

><p>"Who is he?" Kitty asked in the war room.<p>

"His name is Jonathan Storm. He is a pyrokinetic mutant. He lives in New York City with his sister, Susan, her fiance Reed Richards and their friend Benjamin Grimm. They are all mutants also, and came here to learn control many years ago," Charles explained.

Kurt looked confused, "Then why haven't we seen him before?"

"He had, uh, a bit of a falling out with Jean," the older mutant added.

Tabitha snorted, "They didn't look exactly "fallen out" in the foyer."

Scott smiled, "Johnny and Jean were always close. It was my coming to the Institute that screwed all of that up. Johnny...he loved Jean."

"Do you think he still does?" Kitty perked up, Scott getting her full attention with the mention of romance.

"It wouldn't surprise me."

* * *

><p>"Shhhh. I'm here, Red. I'm here."<p>

Johnny had taken Jean to the library and was sitting with her as she cried. It had been seven years, seven long years. For a few months, he had forgotten how long it had been since he'd seen her emerald eyes, her crimson hair.

"I've got you, Red."

She looked up at him, tears not stopping, "Why are you here, Johnny?"

"Because you needed me," he told her, holding her closer. _And I needed you._

Despite being overcome with sadness, she smiled against his chest having caught that stray thought. Oh, how she'd missed him, but now he wasn't the immature little boy who had walked out of those doors seven years ago.

He had become a man.


End file.
